


Librarian boy

by goldhowler



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M, University, ushijima is first year, ushiyama is the best thing in the entire universe, yamaguchi is second year
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-04
Updated: 2017-01-12
Packaged: 2018-09-14 19:50:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9199925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goldhowler/pseuds/goldhowler
Summary: After being forced to stop playing volleyball competitively Ushijima Wakatoshi decides to pursue career that would help future injured sportsmen. However, his studies are endangered by the fact that he can't make any sense of the library catalogue records. He swallows his pride and asks for help when he meets a man he played against in a volleyball match four years ago, Yamaguchi Tadashi, now studying library studies.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> First of all.. I LOVE USHIYAMA AND I HOPE YOU DO TOO! I WILL FEED THIS SHIP BECAUSE IT DESERVES SO MUCH LOVE.  
> Second of all, I myself am a librarian student currently a month before (hopefully) getting my degree in library studies. I find it very interesting, yet neglected, so I decided to make my dear Yams study what I do. Because why not?! 
> 
> Dedicated to all the shippers of this rarepair because anime gods know we need more fanfics and fanarts of this adorable ship.
> 
> English is not my first language, therefore mistakes may occur.  
> I do not own any of the characters.

It didn’t matter how many times Ushijima Wakatoshi went over the library catalogue records - he just couldn’t find any of the books he needed. It was like foreign language for him, all the numbers and letters pointing to the exact location, but it was beyond his capabilities to actually figure out where that location might be. It didn’t help that although the library was enormous the aisles between racks were quite narrow, which made him feel a little claustrophobic. 

At last he glimpsed one of the books he was looking for. However, that wasn’t enough. He needed all the books to study for the test. He sighed and came to terms with the fact that he’d have to ask the grumpy old lady at the front desk to help him. He was Ushijima Wakatoshi, tall and strong man… and he couldn’t even manage to find a few stupid books he needed. Stopping at the desk he occupied today to leave the book he successfully found and to cross it out of the list, he set off to the front desk. 

“Excuse me,” he said before he could convince himself to try one more time on his own, “I can’t seem to find the books I need. Could you help me?” 

Before she could answer, the office door behind her opened and a young man stepped out, quickly tying his hair to a loose ponytail and smiling at her.

“All set, I’ll go put the returns back.” 

“Yes, you do that, but could you help this young man to find the books he needs? I’m in the middle of something,” she asked him softly. Ushijima tried to remember why he thought she was grumpy in the first place, but then he wasn’t the best at reading people from the first impressions.

“Ushijima? Is that you?” asked the boy, looking quite surprised. 

Now that Ushijima looked at him properly he was absolutely certain he had seen him before, but couldn’t remember where. He was a little smaller, had brownish black hair and the sweetest freckled face Ushijima has ever seen before. Couple seconds of silence passed, the woman looking from one boy to another and shaking her head before she returned back to her work. Ushijima could swear he saw her smirk a little, but that could have been his imagination. 

“What do you need help with?” the boy asked, walking towards one of the computers with open catalogue. 

“I… I have a list of books I need and I just can’t make sense of the location,” Ushijima admitted, handing him the list. He couldn’t stop staring at the boy, trying to figure out where he knew him from.  
“Oh, by the way,” said the boy while typing and writing down the numbers next to the titles of the books, “I’m Yamaguchi Tadashi, we played against each other about… four years ago, is it? I was pinch server for Karasuno team.” 

Of course Ushijima remembered that match - that day changed something in him, but when he tried to remember seeing Yamaguchi serve, his mind went blank. 

“Your face seemed familiar but I couldn’t remember –“

“It’s okay, don’t worry about it. I wasn’t exactly the star of the match,” Yamaguchi took the list of books and started walking towards the place the books should be located in.

“You are in luck, all the books you need should be here…” he squatted and took couple of books from the rack. Then he looked at the list and back to the books.

“Hmm, looks like one of them isn’t here. Well, I’ll check it when I have time, okay? But here you go,” he announced and gave the books to Ushijima. 

The taller boy just stood there, silent and shocked. He must have looked there ten times but didn’t see them and then Yamaguchi comes and it takes him less than three minutes. 

“That was amazing. How do you make sense of those catalogue records?” 

Yamaguchi blushed and looked away: “Well, I am studying library studies, you know. It’s sort of passion of mine.” 

When Ushijima thought of librarians, he always imagined older ladies with glasses and wrinkled lips from all the shushing they did. He imagined Yamaguchi, as adorable as he stood there, behind the counter and felt his heartbeat quicken. 

“Well, I have to go put away the returns so…” mumbled Yamaguchi, turned around and started walking away.

“Yes, well, thank you for your help. Really, you saved me,” said Ushijima a walked over to his table. He placed the books on the table and sat down, put his headphones on and opened the first one. Soon he was buried deep in information about different physiotherapist techniques and anatomy. He never thought he would want to pursue this career one day, but after he was forced to stop playing volleyball because of his own injury, he got determined become someone, who would be able to help people like himself. 

After almost an hour of reading and note taking, Ushijima finally looked up and stretched his back, one of his joints cracking loud. Ugh, he hated the sound of it. He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hands and blinked. There was a book on the edge of the table that wasn’t there before. When Ushijima picked it up, he realized it was the one they couldn’t find. A note poked from underneath the cover and when he took it out, he realized it was the list of the books. When he turned it around, it suddenly became something much more than a simple list. 

Found it in the returns!  
Good luck with your studies.  
If you ever need help to find a book again,  
call me. – Y.

and his number underneath.

-

It has been days since Ushijima’s exam. He aced it. Now he was lying in bed, mindlessly playing with that piece of paper in his hand. It didn’t make sense to him why he was so shy about sending that stupid text, asking Yamaguchi if he would want to grab a coffee or something. The truth was that Ushijima didn’t have many friends, mainly because he was so much older than the rest of his classmates and sometimes he just wanted to go out with someone like a normal student would. Finally, he typed the message and sent it before he could change his mind.

That was two hours ago. Now they were sitting across each other in the small university café, sipping their beverages. The first couple of minutes were awfully awkward, both not really knowing what to say. They started with the topic of volleyball, but Yamaguchi noticed his companion felt uncomfortable about the topic, so they slowly got to discussing their university life. Ushijima quickly asked Yamaguchi about his studies.

“I’ve always read a lot. My grandma actually used to take me to our local library when I was little, every two weeks. We would walk there through the park, stop to look at ducks in the pond, then we’d return the books and get some new ones… She would always take so long, choosing what she wanted to read so I just wandered around. The ladies working there were so nice, sometimes I got a lollipop. After that we’d go to the… Sorry, I got carried away,” he blushed and cleared his throat. 

Once again Ushijima felt his heart race. Yamaguchi was obviously so passionate about the subject of libraries and he had this look in his face that Ushijima never seen on anyone else. 

“So… when it came to choosing what I wanted to do in the future, this was always my first choice. My parents didn’t agree at first, but my grandma convinced them. I’ve never wanted to do anything else but this. When I started, I got shocked how much more there is to the job than standing behind the counter and putting books on their place, but instead of it being scary it excited me. It was a big mystery. I don’t even think most people know how much a librarian has to know, and I like that. I like that I know and do what most people don’t even think about.” 

Finally Yamaguchi looked at Ushijima. He has been staring into his coffee until now and when he realized the older man was looking at him, not bored but actually interested in what he was saying, his cheeks heated. 

“You probably have no idea how cute you are, talking about libraries, do you?” asked Ushijima, resolving to his usual straightforwardness. 

After hearing that, the red spread to Yamaguchi’s ears and he quickly looked back down. How could he say something like that so easily?! He tugged on his sleeve nervously before glancing at the clock hanging on the wall.

“Oh f… I have to run. I am so sorry. I didn’t realize so much time has already passed and I have promised to help at the library again,” he quickly apologized, finished his coffee and got up to put on the jacket. 

“It’s okay. Can I write you again?” 

“Sure, it’s been… lovely. You owe me a story of why you’ve decided to study physiotherapy,” said Yamaguchi and smiled at Ushijima. His entire face brightened up, eyes squinted a little and Ushijima could have sworn he stopped breathing at that moment, but he would never admit it. 

“Next time, then,” he promised and curved the corners of his mouth a little. Ushijima rarely smiled, even when he felt happy, but there was just something about this boy that broke through all his usual behaviour. 

Yamaguchi said goodbye before walking away quickly so he wouldn’t be too late. Ushijima sat there for another half an hour, trying to burn the picture of smiling Yamaguchi into his memory. He shifted in his seat and sighed. Whatever was happening to him, it felt good.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ushijima becomes aware of his feelings, but for the lack of experience can't seem to figure them out. He calls an old friend for help, but find out more than he anticipated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm swamped with studies, but I still wanted to have a chapter out for you. Hopefully it was at least acceptable, not really sure about it. I like the idea of Ushijima not quite understanding what is happening to him.
> 
> English is not my first language, therefore mistakes may occur.

Ushijima tried to focus on the text in front of him, he really did. But his eyes were constantly drawn to Yamaguchi, who was now sitting behind the counter, taking the books students handed him to lend or to return. He offered each them one of those sweet smiles Ushijima just couldn’t get enough. It has been three weeks since they went to the café together. Since then Yamaguchi managed to teach Ushijima how to look for the books he needed to find, but he still sometimes pretended he couldn’t make sense of it just so he could talk to him. For the first time in his life, Ushijima felt nervous around someone. 

He must have gotten lost in his thoughts, because he didn’t even see Yamaguchi walk over and shake him a little, even though he was staring at him the whole time. 

“Hey, if you need to study you should probably start looking into the book,” he teased him. 

“Um, sorry.” 

“Say, would you… Do you still have to study a lot today?” asked suddenly Yamaguchi, nervously tugging at his sleeve. 

“A bit, why?” 

“I was thinking maybe you would like to go for a walk or something? But if you have lots of studying to do, it’s okay. I’m done here for today so I was just – “ 

It was the first time Yamaguchi asked Ushijima to go somewhere. So far it was Ushijima initiating the meetings, but he already knew that Yamaguchi was most likely the shyest person he has ever encountered. He surely had loads of studying to do, especially when he spaced out so much, but he couldn’t let this opportunity pass.

“No, I’m basically done, I can finish this in the evening,” he shrugged and picked up the bag to put the book into it. Yamaguchi quickly snatched it from his hands and walked over to the counter to actually lend it to him properly so he wouldn’t beep at the way out, which was definitely awkward. Ushijima thanked him while cursing himself inside his head. He should really get a hold of himself.

They walked out of the university grounds to the local park. Yamaguchi almost fell into the pond when he tried to take the perfect picture of a swan for his Instagram and Ushijima had to grab his waist to save him. They laughed about it later, the younger one blushing like crazy a and thanking his companion again and again, but when they said their goodbyes and Ushijima was once again alone in his room, he couldn’t stop thinking about the way the smaller body felt in his hands. Those thoughts inevitably lead to some other thoughts that resolved in the need of a cold shower. 

-

For the first time in his life Ushijima had to re-take a test. Although he knew that it wasn’t the end of the world and it happened to many students, he was disappointed for not putting enough work into his studies lately. He would be lying if he said it wasn’t because of Yamaguchi; however he didn’t blame the younger for it at all. His mind was muddled with thoughts he had never experienced before. He knew what he felt towards Yamaguchi wasn’t just friendship, but wasn’t exactly sure how to figure out if it was just a silly crush or if he was actually falling in love. He was only able to study when he promised himself he would figure this all out after the re-take, which he later aced – yet once again. He would figure it all out and maintain the balance of what he wanted and what needed to be done for his future. 

However, he knew he wouldn’t be able to figure it out on his own. He needed to talk to someone who wasn’t Yamaguchi, yet he would be able to call him a friend. 

“Well if this isn’t the would-be-a-star-if-he-didn’t-fuck-up-his-shoulder Ushijima,” the person said instead of hello.

“Hello Tendou,” replied Ushijima, not particularly offended or anything. He knew Tendou didn’t mean it in a mean way. 

“How are you, university student?” 

“It’s going alright. Sort of. I need your help,” there was no point in beating around the bush.

“You need help… from me?” Tendou sounded surprised. 

“I need to figure out something and I don’t know who else to call.”

A little pause. “Continue.”

“How do I know if I’m having a crush or if I’m falling in love?”

Tendou didn’t reply for a little while. When he finally spoke, Ushijima expected some stupid joke. “Wow. I mean, this isn’t exactly what I thought this is going to be about,” he admitted, yet no mocking sounded in his voice. “Tell me about her. Or… him, I don’t really know –“

“It’s a boy.”

“Alright, tell me about him. Who is the lucky one who has finally caught your attention in such a way?” 

“Remember the match with Karasuno?”

“Hmpf,” Tendou snorted, “how could I possibly forget? That day is still haunting me in my nightmares.”

“It’s the pinch server, Yamaguchi Tadashi. He’s a second year at my university.” 

“The cute one who became the captain in his third year?”

“Yes, him. Wait, he had become the captain? And how would you know?” Ushijima asked, surprised. How in the world could such a shy person become a captain? 

“I might have gone to watch all their matches in the following years to feed my grudge against the blonde one with glasses. They were just so annoyingly good. But to answer your question, yes, the cute one became the captain. Quite the personality development if you ask me, he always motivated his team like few others could, he basically reeked of confidence and determination. I couldn’t stand it.” 

Ushijima didn’t understand. The Yamaguchi he knew certainly didn’t burst with confidence like Tendou just described. “He’s not like that with me at all. He’s so shy and blushing so easily and he always tugs at his sleeve when he’s nervous. Are you sure we’re talking about the same guy?”

“Pretty sure. Maybe something happened to him or…” 

“Or what?”

“Or maybe he likes you and that is why he’s nervous. If I’m being completely honest, I would probably be the same. Has anyone ever told you you can look quite intimidating?” 

Ushijima didn’t know what to say. He has called to discuss his feelings and how to approach them, not to get confused by the possibility of Yamaguchi’s feelings. But still when Tendou said that Yamaguchi could like him, his heart fluttered and he couldn’t help but smile. 

“You still there?”

“I’m here,” Ushijima cleared his throat, trying to shake off that stupid smile that now settled on his face. “I didn’t call you to discuss if he likes me. I need to figure out if I like him.” 

“Ushijima, that is something you just know. Quite frankly I’m probably not the right person to ask about feelings, as my relationship count still equals to the number of times we had won a match against Karasuno.” He would most likely never let the loss go. “Look, just act normal around him. If something is there, even someone as slow as you will figure it out.” 

Ushijima frowned. “Well you certainly didn’t help me much.”

“What did you expect, that I look into your mind and tell you your feelings? Anyways, I have to go. Let me know how it goes.” 

-

Ushijima opened the anatomy book and went back to studying. He would figure it all out, but not before cramming some knowledge into his brain. Even if he didn’t understand his own feelings, he certainly knew what he wants from himself in the future and he wouldn’t risk further disappointment just because he couldn’t figure himself out. Tendou was right; he would figure it out eventually. He made a mental note to contact him more frequently. No matter how unapproachable and intimidating, as Tendou called him, he might seem, he still wished he had more people to talk to. Maybe he should ask Yamaguchi to introduce him to some friends and see how the freckled man interacts with other people. Maybe it would answer some of his questions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sending love for all the hits, kudos and comments!

**Author's Note:**

> Did you like it? Should I continue? Let me know! 
> 
> SENDING LOVE FOR ALL THE KUDOS AND COMMENTS!


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